Dr. Cairo Arafat is the Managing Director of Bidaya Media an Abu Dhabi-based organization that develops media based educational and learning programs for children. She is currently working on the Iftah Ya Simsim/Sesame Street program and preparation of a variety of digital and print learning materials for young children in the Arab world. She is a leading educational advisor specializing in the area of child rights and early childhood education, and acts as the Special Advisor to the Palestinian Ministry of Education on education policy.  Previous and ongoing work with Save The Children International as the Senior Child Rights Advisor in the Occupied Palestinian Territory includes supporting inclusive education opportunities for children in addition to developing programs to eliminate violence against children.

Cairo received her Masters Degree in Developmental Neuroscience and Ph.D in Psychology from Ohio State University. 

Renée is a teacher, writer and researcher with a particular emphasis on the impact of media on culture and on learning. She has a B.A. in English and
Philosophy from Barnard College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Media Ecology/Communication and Culture from New
York University. She has taught literature and media studies on the faculties of Ramapo College of NJ, City College of New York, the Rutgers University Arts,
Culture and Media Program, the Teachers College, Columbia University English Education Program and, currently, she is a Senior Scholar at the UCLA Center for
Scholars and Storytellers. Simultaneously, she has worked in the media as a Research Director at Sesame Street and educational consultant developing
curriculum for Disney, Sprout, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations on youth media, the U.S. Institute for Peace, and the National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences, among others. She recently was awarded the International Council for Media Literacy’s Jesse McCanse Award for her contributions to the
field. Renée is writing a book on transforming education through a curriculum for the emerging future so that today’s children will gain the skills and habits of mind
they need to thrive in the rapidly changing world they will inherit.

Born in Augusta. Maine poet and short story writer, published in the New Criterion, Esquire, and the New Yorker. One volume of poetry: 45 (degrees) North Latitude. Currently a first-year candidate for an MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

Felipe Edwards is the executive editor and columnist of La Segunda, a daily newspaper in Santiago, Chile, where he has worked for the past 16 years. Previously, he was a reporter and managing editor of another Chilean paper, El Mercurio. He has been a member of the American Society of News Editors, director of the Interamerican Press Association, vice-president of the World Editors’ Forum, and a member of the Advisory Board of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.

Gregory J. Gettas has been a feature film, television and internet producer/writer for 35 years, working for, among others, Warner Brothers, Jim Henson Productions, CBS, Disney Interactive, LeapFrog Toys, the CTV Television Network, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Previously the head of global ‘Sesame Street’ production for the Children’s Television Workshop – overseeing 12 indigenous, local-language versions of series worldwide – most recently he was the Global Lead of Employee Development Solutions/Talent Development at Morgan Stanley, New York.  Mr. Gettas holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Radio & Television Production) from Ryerson University, Toronto, and a Masters (Social-Organizational Psychology) from Columbia University/Teachers College, New York.

Robin Nelson began her career as a production assistant on the Sesame Workshop-funded science series, 3-2-1 Contact. After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa, Robin returned to the States and joined National Geographic Television and Film, and then Discovery Communications. Needing more of a “mission”, Robin returned to the development field and has been working as a program manager at FHI 360, a non-profit organization, with projects on youth, peacebuilding and countering violent extremism.

Tina Peel is a veteran Program Developer, Content Specialist, Researcher and Producer with over 30 years experience working in kids’ educational programming with organizations such as Disney, Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Discovery Kids and PBS. With a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard, Tina has served in executive positions on such series as Max and Ruby, WordWorld, UMIGO and Ghostwriter. She is currently in development on a new pre-school series, The Cloud Forest Friends.

Simon Strong is a former journalist and author of books on political violence and drugs trafficking in Peru and Colombia whose work has been published or broadcast by leading global media outlets including the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, the London Independent, Financial Times, and BBC. Since 2012 he has run his own company, Tenácitas International, which conducts corporate investigations and business intelligence assignments for global corporations. He is also the founder of The Oliver Foundation, which promotes awareness of the dramatic rise in pediatric cancer and the need to identify and control its environmental causes. After many years chasing truth as a reporter, corporate investigator, and health researcher, Simon is now also a regression hypnotherapist – helping people to heal and to become whole by chasing truth within themselves. Simon lives in Miami Beach with his wife Vilma, their son Edward, and their cat, Shanti.

Dr. Lewis Bernstein is the President of Lewis J. Bernstein and Associates, a company he founded, after retiring as Executive Vice President of Education Research and Outreach at Sesame Workshop. His forty plus year career at Sesame Workshop was defined by his passion to improve the intellectual, social, emotional, and moral lives of children, through media, both as an educator and as a producer, including three years as Executive Producer of Sesame Street and Rechov Sumsum/Shara’a Simsim (an Israeli-Palestinian co-production of Sesame Street). Dr. Bernstein is currently using his expertise and experience advising major foundations, corporations and platforms, on the creation of youth-oriented programs to educate, inspire, and empower youth to work on improving themselves and the world they are inheriting.

Dr. Sarah Childress is an Adjunct Lecturer of Motion Pictures at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and Chief Creative Officer of Headstrong Media Group. After ten years as an advertising executive, working with clients that included ESPN, the Discovery Channel, Delta Air Lines, and The Coca-Cola Company, Sarah earned her Ph.D. in Cinema Studies at Vanderbilt University. She has taught Introduction to Film Studies as well as courses in film history, avant-garde cinema, Latin American cinema, and a host of genre cinemas: documentary, horror, science fiction, and comedy at Vanderbilt University, Bowdoin College, and Belmont University.

Theo Dolan recently completed his role as the strategic lead for IREX’s Learn to Discern media literacy and digital resilience approach. He specializes in using media and technology to prevent and resolve violent conflict in countries such as Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia and Myanmar. Prior to his work at IREX and FHI 360, he led the regional office for PeaceTech Lab in Nairobi, Kenya. He previously worked for the Lab’s parent organization, the United States Institute of Peace for five years.

John Farrell is a poet and sculptor who found expression for those passions in the archaic and avant-garde world of the puppet theater, co-founding Figures of Speech Theatre with dancer/designer Carol Farrell in 1982. Known for groundbreaking work juxtaposing puppets, actors and other stage media, Figures of Speech also pursues an interest in the performance of literary text: Farrell’s latest work is a solo recitation from memory of T.S. Eliot’s poetic masterpiece, Four Quartets. Farrell lives with his wife, costume designer Carol Farrell, in a perpetually 250-year-old farmhouse in Maine.

Caleb is a programs manager at Build Up. He specializes in researching and applying various technologies to address election violence, good governance, extremism and conflict mitigation mainly in Africa. He has worked with peace building actors in countries such as Nigeria, South Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Cameroon, training them to respond to violent conflict by applying digital tools. Caleb has also collaborated with UN agencies, technology companies such as Facebook and Youtube, and government institutions such as electoral bodies in various countries to address hate speech and polarization. Caleb was previously working as a Senior Specialist at the PeaceTech Lab for 5 years and has a background in computer science.

Anne Haywood is a Miami-based educator and head of Mountain to Sea Education, which develops interdisciplinary education programs for students and families focused on Earth’s people and natural environments. Anne’s career has bridged K-12 teaching in classroom and outdoor settings with communications, publishing, digital tools, citizen science, and teacher training. Programs include field-based environmental learning, spatial awareness and mapping, and geo-literacy public awareness with organizations including National Geographic, National Park Service, iNaturalist’s City Nature Challenge, Encyclopedia of Life, Lindblad Expeditions, Smithsonian’s eMammal project, Skytruth for Students, and schools across the United States.

Michelle Linford is the Executive Director of EPIK Deliberate Digital, a nonprofit focused on facilitating connection and collaboration around issues related to youth and technology. EPIK’s key goal to encourage mindful, positive uses of technology in homes, schools, and communities (#UseTech4Good; see also UseTech4Good.com). EPIK was instrumental in helping draft the first digital citizenship bill in the United States in 2015 (HB213, Utah). This bill was a springboard for other states creating legislation to support digital citizenship and medial literacy education in schools. EPIK created DigCitUtah.com to help with implementation of HB213, and this website has been shared by the Utah State Office of Education with school community councils around the state. In 2017, EPIK hosted the 3rd annual Digital Citizenship Summit (see DigCitSummit2017.com and video archives at https://bit.ly/2HlT65J). The highlight of the Summit was a free community event, the #UseTech4Good Youth Extravaganza. EPIK has been invited to participate in various local, national, and international efforts addressing technology, education, and community change. In addition, EPIK was recently featured in Dr. Lynne Schrum’s book, Learning Supercharged (2018), and Michelle was a co-author on a chapter for an upcoming edition of the International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy. Michelle is excited to help students in this year’s Meridian Stories competition.

Bob Moore’s career has woven together the strands of natural scientist, writer, storyteller, and media producer, now fully manifested on his website, www.BobMooreFieldNotes.com. He was Senior Partner at Meridian Stories, and before that was publications editor for the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Bob has a Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, and a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from Yale University. He received his BA in History from Kenyon College.

Jennifer C. Niles founded and led the acclaimed E.L. Haynes Public Charter School before serving as D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Education under Mayor Muriel Bowser, from January 2015 until February 2018. During her 12-year tenure at Haynes, Niles built myriad programs focused on improving urban education beyond the school’s own walls. These included citywide, district-charter initiatives to build a teacher pipeline, promote race and equity seminars, and create ongoing professional development for teachers. Niles began her career teaching science and directing service learning programs at schools in California and Massachusetts. She holds two master’s degrees and is a graduate of New Leaders for New Schools and a Pahara Institute Fellow. Jennie is currently a Senior Fellow at CityBridge Education.

Gabriel Rshaid is the co-founder and Director of The Learnerspace, a company whose mission is to help build the future of learning. He is also co-founder of The Global School, the first school of its type in Latin America, attempting to make educational change a reality. Formerly Headmaster of St. Andrew’s Scots School in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the oldest bilingual school in the world, he is a passionate educational futurist who is intent on sharing his belief that it is the best time in history to be an educator. Gabriel is the author of five books and has contributed as a co-author to numerous other books and anthologies. A former board member of ASCD and chair of ESSARP, he has spoken and led professional development workshops all over the world, working with educators to help create the future of education.

David Sullivan has been an educator for the past 35 years. He began teaching at a summer program at Wellesley College and later served on the faculties of Northfield Mount Hermon School and Milton Academy. He served as the Principal of the Brooklin School and was the Executive Director of Breakwater Learning, a nonprofit that ran an independent day school, a youth enrichment center, and parent and professional development programs. He is currently a Senior Advisor at SPARC (Summer Programs and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative). When not working, he likes making and building things. He also loves being on the water, in the woods, and anywhere without a phone signal.

Cooper Wright is the former VP, International Creative at Sesame Workshop. She was the supervising producer of the first co-productions of Sesame Street in China and South Africa and has recently completed a Masters in Digital Media Design Learning at New York University.